by Keri Arthur
And they had to be said now, while he had the time, just in case something happened to one of them. Fate had snatched her from him once. He couldn't risk it happening again without at least telling her the truth.
He pulled back from the kiss and gently cupped her cheeks between his hands. “There's something you need to know. Two things, actually."
She raised an eyebrow again. Her eyes were shining with happiness, and the glow shimmered right through him. “And what might those things be?"
"The first is the fact that I think I love you."
"Well, good, because I think the feeling might be returned."
Relief, tension, and happiness unlike anything he'd ever experienced filled him. Just for an instant, he felt like a kid who'd been given every Christmas present he'd ever asked for. He grinned. “And the second is an apology."
"For what?"
"For being such a coward at Rosehall. For never telling you what I was feeling, especially that night when you said you loved me."
"Then I have to give you an apology—for going to Jontee. For never having the courage to follow my heart—"
He stopped her with another kiss. “Enough of the past. Let's just agree to the fact that we both made mistakes, and concentrate on the future from now on."
"Agreed."
"Then let's go get these murdering bitches so we can start exploring that future."
She grinned. “So it's off to your motel room? With its nice double bed?"
"Please remember the fact that your snotty assistant booked our rooms,” he said dryly. “There is nothing nice about the bed."
"There would be with you and me in it."
She had a point, but it was one he had to ignore for now. “Bitches first. Sex later."
"Then let's go get them so we can get down to the serious stuff.” She broke away from him and headed for the door.
He pulled his shirt from the waistband of his jeans to cover the erection that just wouldn't go down and followed her. A disheveled, red-haired figure was walking down the hall towards them.
"Ike! Thank God!” Vannah caught Ike's arm, steadying him as he stumbled. “Are you okay? What happened?"
The kid winced and rubbed the back of his head. “Some bastard hit me from behind."
They'd done more than that, from the look of him, Cade thought as Vannah eased the kid into a chair and squatted beside him. Ike's face was pale, bruised and cut, with blood drying in streaks down the side of his face. His body seemed to have fared little better—his clothes were torn, revealing smudges of blood and bruising. Someone had given the kid a bit of a working over once they'd knocked him unconscious. If it had been Candy, she must have been in a benevolent mood. She'd let him live rather than eat him. Thank God they had her behind bars now.
"Tell us what happened,” he said.
Ike grimaced. “I followed Denny to a burger joint on Galena Street. He didn't order anything, just came out of the place looking really angry. He then went over to this house on Summit Street—"
"Was there a blue pickup parked in the driveway?” Vannah asked quickly.
Ike shook his head. “But I woke up in one."
Cade squatted beside Vannah. “So how did you get from the house to the truck?"
"A blonde invited Denny inside the house. I checked the windows, and it was obvious they were making out, so I retreated to the shadows to wait. Next thing I know, I'm tied up and lying in the back of some damn truck.” Ike paused and looked at Cade. “The cabin was blue, so I'm presuming the rest of it was."
"Then what happened?” Vannah asked.
He shrugged. “I was in and out of it for a while. When I awoke for real, I was in Ashcroft hut."
Cade glanced at Vannah. “Which is?"
"An old hut hikers use if they get caught by weather or night.” She glanced at Denny. “How did you escape?"
"There was no one there. I was hog-tied, but whoever did the knots doesn't know crap about them. I got out of there and came straight here."
"Any signs that the hut had been used for any length of time?"
"Yeah. But I wasn't really concentrating on anything more than getting out of there."
Cade rose. “We should check it out."
"We need to check out those file notes, too. I've got a feeling you've missed something."
He knew those notes by heart, and it was doubtful he'd see anything new in them. But she might. “Where's Ashcroft hut?"
"About three quarters of the way along the trail. The end comes out near the entrance of the Sinclair mansion, and that's probably the quickest access point."
None of which made any sense to Cade. “How about I check out the hut, and you check the notes?"
"You shouldn't go alone. That's just tempting fate."
"Everyone else is dealing with the hiker mess. If we go together, it's just doubling the temptation. And as you said, we need the notes checked out as well."
Surprisingly, she didn't argue. “Then we bring in outside help.” She squeezed Ike's knee and rose. “You'll need it to find the trail and the hut anyway, so I'll call the Sinclairs and get one of them to act as a guide."
"Which is only putting them in the line of danger,” Cade said.
She grinned. “The Sinclairs scoff at danger."
He raised an eyebrow. “So they have the insanity gene that seems to haunt Sinclairs everywhere?"
"Some would say that,” Ike muttered, then glanced at Savannah quickly. “Except for Duncan, of course."
"Duncan is your brother-in-law?” Cade guessed.
She nodded. “But given the attempt on my father's life, I won't be asking him. I'll see if René's available. He likes the rough stuff.” She glanced at Ike. “You'd better get over to the hospital and get checked out."
"I'm okay. I want—"
"Ike,” she warned, in a voice that brooked no arguments.
The kid scowled and Cade was hard pressed not to grin. He had a feeling the kid had heard that tone more than once. He dragged his room key from his pocket and handed it to Vannah. “The computer is on the luggage bench. Password is Vannah Harvey."
Amusement touched her lush lips. “Interesting password. Someone you knew?"
"Some one I thought I'd lost.” He touched a hand to her face, knowing the kid was watching and not caring. “Thankfully, I found her again."
She briefly pressed her cheek into his touch. “And this time she won't run."
"Good.” He let his hand drop and stepped away from her, even though all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and never let her go. Not just because he loved her, but because he had a bad feeling that something was about to happen. This case, for good or for bad, was about to reach a climax. “Be careful."
"You, too.” She glanced at Ike. “And you stop that stupid grinning and get to the doctor."
"Yes ma'am,” the kid said, and scooted past them.
"I'll call Duncan now,” she continued. “To get to the mansion, just head down Main until you see Park Street. That'll take you to Mansion Road."
"Okay.” He half turned to go and then hesitated. “Watch your back. And don't park in front of the motel."
"Well, gee, and here I was all set to advertise my presence."
He grinned at her sarcasm. “I know, I know, you're a ranger and you know a thing or two about policing. But I deal with nutters on a regular basis. You don't."
"Stop worrying and just get going, or we're never going to catch these people and get on with our life."
He raised his hands. “I'm going, I'm going."
"Then get going."
He did. But not without kissing her good-bye first.
* * * *
Savannah parked in the street behind the motel and climbed out of the truck. The chill of the storm was still in the air, and if the clouds hanging like lead were anything to go by, Mother Nature hadn't finished with them yet. Though storms often dumped snow on the peaks at this time of year, it didn't always stick through
the warm autumn days. But she had a feeling this storm was heralding in a long, cold winter, which would make the cross-country skiing crowd happy—if they dared come back to the reservation after word of Candy's attack got out.
She glanced up and down the street to see who was near or watching, feeling a little foolish even as she did so. But Cade was right—they were dealing with nutcases, and precautions needed to be taken right now.
The thought of him sent a twinge of worry through her. René had readily agreed to guide Cade, but that didn't stop the feeling that they were being played like fools. Ike was a clever kid, but she couldn't help thinking his escape didn't fit the profile. Everything Anni and her crew had done so far was meticulously planned, so carelessly tying knots and allowing Ike to escape just didn't make sense.
Unless, of course, that's precisely what they'd wanted.
Which meant that Cade and René could be walking right into a trap. Of course, if there were ever two men she'd go out of her way to avoid a fight with, it was those two. She'd never seen Cade truly angry, but she'd felt the power in his body, seen the battle scars. And René—well, she'd never met a wolf more willing to throw himself into the middle of a knife fight and consider it clean, harmless fun. He might not be insane, per se, but that gene was definitely in his system.
She climbed the fence and jumped down into the small gap between the fence and the motel's back wall. In several of the rooms to her right she could hear conversation and running water, but Cade's room was at the other end, out of the direct line of sight of the main office and the road. Undoubtedly, Kel had booked those rooms so they wouldn't hear as much traffic, but right now, with a killer intent on bloody revenge, it was inconvenient. If she could get in without being seen, so could others.
A chill ran across her skin. She rubbed her arms and tried not to think about her earlier certainty that something bad would happen today. Something bad had happened—Candy had torn apart too many lives. Surely fate wouldn't dump anything else on them.
Another chill ran up her spine. Fate might not, but maybe Anni would.
She grimaced. She'd driven past her apartment on the way here, and the flower shop was still closed. Very unusual, to say the least. Had Anni somehow gotten wind of the fact that they suspected her? Or was it merely a coincidence she'd gone missing on the same day they'd discovered who she really was?
She didn't know. There was too damn much they just didn't know, and people were dying because of it. It had to stop. And somehow, she had to stop it. Easier said than done, right now. Frowning, she made her way down to the end of the building. After a quick look around the corner to ensure there was no one close by, she got the room key from her pocket and walked around to the front. Still no one near. She quickly opened the door and stepped inside.
Though the bathroom door was open, the little bit of light filtering in from the bathroom's windows failed to lift the gloom in the main room. She let her eyes adjust, smiling a little as she noted the clothes strewn across the bed. Cade, it seemed, was as untidy as her when he wasn't in his IIS mode. She shoved away the temptation to check out his personal stuff and learn more about the man she loved. Instead, she walked across to the laptop, which sat on the luggage rack.
She moved the mouse to snap the screen back to life and typed in the access code. Several screens popped up. She clicked the one marked Rosehall and pulled up a chair and started reading.
It was heavy stuff.
Even though she knew what had happened, she'd never known all the details. Now that she did, she could never again think of Jontee as a gentle man. How could she? A gentle soul would never have been able to do what he did to those people.
She read on through the trial notes but didn't find any mention of Jina or Anni or anyone vaguely connected to the current case. Yet instinct said there had to be something, somewhere.
She leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms as she stared at the screen. What had happened to Nelle? Cade had been so certain that she'd been involved, yet there had been no mention of her in the trial. Not by the IIS, and not by Jontee.
She could understand Jontee staying mute to protect Nelle, as the two of them had almost been inseparable, but why hadn't the IIS followed up on her?
She glanced at the time and saw with some shock that four hours had passed. She glanced at the curtained windows. Even though they were closed, it was obvious dusk was setting in. And Cade hadn't contacted her. Worry surged anew, but she firmly thrust it away. No one had actually contacted her, which obviously meant there wasn't a problem. If there was, someone would have called.
After rising and stretching, she used the bathroom and then grabbed a bottle of water and a chocolate bar from the room's mini bar fridge. As she was walking back to the laptop, a dog-eared notebook sitting by the bed caught her attention.
Personal case notes?
She plopped down on the bed and discovered Cade was right. The mattress was harder than bricks. Not that she'd actually mind bricks if great sex was on offer—and with Cade, great sex was definitely guaranteed. Grinning slightly, she picked up the notebook and began to read through it.
It wasn't until the final page that something caught her attention. It was little more than a follow-up side note about a woman raising a ruckus and swearing revenge on everyone when the guilty verdict was announced. He'd noted that the woman might need to be watched. Whether that had happened or not was anyone's guess. But she'd bet that the woman who'd made the threat was Jina Hawkins, the woman she knew as Anni.
She went back to the laptop, connected to the Net, and did an article search for the date of the guilty verdict. And as expected, found Anni. A picture showed her being hustled from the court, her mouth open, as if still screaming abuse.
The really interesting snippet came at the end of the article—Jina Hawkins had assaulted several of the officers escorting her from the court and then run. A warrant had been issued for her arrest, but a search revealed that no follow up article had been printed—meaning, perhaps, that Jina Hawkins had never been caught.
Savannah looked through the other court pictures, and in the background of one saw someone else she knew. It had been taken from the court steps, looking out over the lines of placard-holding protesters. Not protesters who wanted him released but who wanted the death penalty applied. They'd certainly gotten their wish.
The woman standing under the “death for murderers, not life sentences” placard was none other than Lana Lee. What the old dear had been doing in a protest like that, Savannah had no idea, but that was obviously how'd she known that the Anni who ran her shop was the woman known as Jina, a woman who had threatened to kill everyone involved in convicting Jontee. It also explained the subtle threat in the request-for-rent letter Cade had found in Anni's shop.
Lana had known who Anni really was and had died because of it. Maybe Lana's threat was the cause. Maybe Anni was simply cleaning up possible loose ends. Either way, it was another death she would have to pay for.
Savannah scrubbed a hand across her eyes and clicked off the Net. Night was settling in, and she was getting hungry for something more substantial than chocolate. She glanced at her watch again, frowning when she saw it was nearly six. Still no word from Cade or anyone else. Worry returned, and this time it refused to budge.
She rose and took her cell phone from her pocket. No messages. She pressed the call button, but before she could dial the station, someone in the room next door hit something and cursed loudly.
A cold sensation ran through her. The room next door was the one shared by Anton and Trista, but that voice hadn't belonged to either of them.
Meaning there was a stranger in their room.
Someone other than the two people who looked after the motel, or the woman they employed to clean it, all of whom she knew.
And that strange someone sounded an awful lot like the woman whose arm she'd ripped in her effort to grab the crossbow. Candy's sister—Lonny.
* * * *
René Sinclair wasn't what Cade had expected. As a general rule, Sinclairs were tall and rangy—the athletes of the werewolf world, as much as thoroughbreds were of the horse world. Vannah's brother-in-law certainly fit the type, but René was a lot shorter than most Sinclairs, and built like a boxer. All thick muscle and attitude.
And he had an awful lot to say about Savannah—thankfully, most of it complimentary. Cade would have hated to have to hit the man. He had a feeling he'd do far more damage to his fist than René himself.
"So what are we hunting up at the old hut?” René asked eventually.
Cade hesitated, but there was something about this wolf's no-nonsense attitude that he liked. “Ike was kidnapped and taken up there. We're going there to look for possible clues."
René's dark gaze was full of a sharpness that spoke of an intelligence that matched all the muscle. “And the reason Ike was kidnapped is the same reason Neva's forced to stay at the mansion?"
He nodded. “There's a killer after Savannah and me."
"Why?"
"Past deeds.” He shrugged. “The cabin is a long shot."
"And Ike is not known for his quick thinking. If he escaped, it could be because someone wanted him to."
"Yes."
"Meaning we could be walking into a trap."
"Yes."
René rolled his shoulders and grinned. “Fantastic."
Cade raised an eyebrow. “Do all Sinclairs feel the insane need to live up to the family reputation?"
"The family reputation is merely a lust for life. We can't help it if the rest of the wolf population are dominated by morals more suited to the Dark Ages."
Cade grinned. “Wouldn't happen to be talking about an in-law there, would you?"
"The man is a jackass. His daughters, however, are amazing. Even if one of them is a ranger.” René stopped and swept a branch aside. “Here you go."
The hut stood in a small clearing just beyond the aspens and pines that lined the walking trail. It was made with logs that looked far older than the trees around them. It had a rusting iron roof and no windows on the two sides he could see. It did, however, have a stone chimney. He raised his nose, scenting the icy wind, searching for any sign of someone being near. The air smelled of snow and pine and little else.